#one of my favourite Paragon interrupts for sure

[akuzeisms]

When Paragon Shepard gets tilted...

Some context for my non-Mass Effect mutuals: quarians are seen as transients and vagrants most of the time, hence the discrimination (they don't have a home planet and live solely on ships part of the Migrant Fleet, they live entirely in enviro-suits, and they're known for their creation of the geth, a race of semi-sentient artificial intelligence that drove them from their homeworld, Rannoch, approx. 300 years. The geth were also the focus of the first game as the primary enemy).

Additionally: a Spectre (Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance) is essentially a galactic agent who operates outside the law at the behest of the Citadel Council, which governs all Council races. They effectively have unquestionable authority and report directly to the heart of all galactic civilization.

[busdriver-55]

Mafia Romance

- Here's a list of my favourite Mafia romance books. (If it's a series, I'm only putting the first book/my favourite book in that series) 😈🔫 Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher: After his parents died, Angelo Visconti was in line to become the Capo of Devil's Dip, but he refused the title. Thus, he left the country, never to return. He is back several years later, seeking revenge on his mother's behalf. Rory Carter sold her soul to the devil himself. She signed a contract agreeing to marry Alberto Visconti, a 70-year-old head of the Cosa Nostra in Devil's Cove. Rory is filled with regrets and sins; she calls "Sinners Anonymous," where she's been confessing her sins for years. On one of her visits to see her father, she stops at the cliff at Devils Dip; she is interrupted by a mysteriously handsome stranger. Later that night, she is at dinner with her obnoxious fiance and his family when the mystery man appears. Alberto tells Rory that the man is his favorite nephew Angelo Visconti. The more time she spends with him, the more infatuated she becomes. She finds out that Angelo and his brothers run the "Sinners Anonymous" hotline. She is scared that Angelo will tell Alberto her sins and begs Angelo not to tell him. Can Rory trust Angelo not to listen to her confessions or tell Alberto? Angelo realizes that his uncle has lied to Rory and wants to get her out of the marriage contract. Can she trust that Angelo will get her out of her contract with time running out? Menace by J.M Darhower: Lorenzo Gambini is bored. So fucking bored. Most people either annoy him or avoid him, afraid to face him. Figuratively. Literally. With his face partially disfigured, he looks every bit the monster the stories make him out to be: the notorious menace they called Scar. They say he's a sociopath. Maybe he's a psychopath. Whatever path he's on, people tend to stay far away from it. Until one day, a young woman bumps right into him-a woman just as fed up with life, but for much different reasons. With a Scarlet Letter inked on her wrist and secrets buried deep in her soul, Morgan Myers is running from something... or maybe somebody. Lorenzo isn't quite sure. You can bet your ass he's going to figure it out, though. Lev by Belle Aurora: From the moment Lev Leokov spots the young woman hiding behind her hair in the middle of the gentleman's club, he can't take his eyes off of her. For the very first time in his life, he is affected. Having been told his entire life that he can't process or understand emotion, he considers it a big deal. When Mina Harris gets caught red-handed with a wallet that isn't hers, she falls apart. She's tired, lonely and hasn't eaten in days. Lev offers her an ultimatum... A nice warm bed, a hot meal and a job, or the cops. Mina takes her chances with Lev. After all, a person with nothing has nothing left to lose. Twisted Loyalties by Cora Reilly: Left to fend for himself, Fabiano is forced to fight for a place in the mafia world. As a ruthless street fighter, he quickly earns his place as the new Enforcer of the Las Vegas Camorra-a man to fear. Leona wants to build a decent life for herself, away from her drug-addicted mother. But soon she catches the attention of a dangerous man Fabiano Scuderi. Staying out of trouble and living a normal life are near impossible with a man like him. Leona knows she needs to avoid Fabiano, but men like him aren't easy to shake off. They always get what they want. Fabiano cares about only one thing: the Camorra. But his attraction to Leona soon puts his unwavering loyalty to the test. Is Leona worth risking everything he's fought for, and ultimately his life? The Maddest Obsession: Her dresses are too tight, her heels too tall. She laughs too loudly, eats without decorum, and mixes up most sayings in the book. Little do most know it's just a sparkly disguise, there to hide one panic attack at a time. Nobody can crack Gianna's facade... No one anyway, until he comes along. Most see a paragon of morality; a special agent upholding the law. In the New York underworld, others

know him as a hustler, a killer, his nature as cold as the heart of ice in his chest. Christian Allister has always followed the life plan he'd envisioned in his youth, beneath the harsh lights of a frigid, damp cell. With a proclivity for order and the number three, he's never been tempted to veer off course. But perhaps one should never say never ... One winter night and their lives intertwine. She hates him-his stone-cold demeanor, his arrogance and too-perceptive eye-but over the years, even as their games consist of insulting each other's looks and intelligence, she begins to live to play with him. Nowhere in Christian's plans had he ever prepared for Gianna. She's chaos embodied, not his type, and married, but none of that can stop his eyes from following her wherever she goes. All along, she doesn't even know that she's his-his frustration, his fascination. His maddest Obsession. Beast by Measha Stone: Wouldn't you give up everything for the one you love? When Ellie's father is taken by a group of thugs planning to take his life in exchange for his debts, it’s no surprise she goes running straight into the beast’s lair. After all, Ellie Stevens has been her father’s keeper for as long as she can remember. However, Ashland Titon isn��t a man of mercy. If you owe, you pay. End of story. His unrelenting control has built his empire, and he’s not going to give over that power now. But when Ellie charges into his life with her demands and possibilities of sweet surrender, her offer proves too tempting to pass up. Yet there’s more at play here than just working off a debt. There are secrets buried in the shadows, and dangerous desires to be explored. While the two of them dance to an erotic beat, outside forces threaten Ashland's empire and Ellie must decide where her heart truly lies - and what she's truly willing to risk for love. 

[sibsteria]

all the angels [cast & angels & chuck]

prompts: ''run away with me''

summary: [bare with me, this is a long summary and concept] throughout the decades, y/n and the angels lived in harmony, her being the only being with powers on par with chuck. an immortal life with your angels sounds good, doesn't it? something goes wrong and y/n gets projected into the world of the spn actors. she had never met god, despite being made for the angels because of him. the thing is, she doesn't remember anything of her life with the angels and this messes with reality. the world of reality, along with y/n, are all magically convinced she has always been in their universe as a fellow cast mate. what happens when most of her favourite angels and a certain hellish man team up to collect her in the middle of a con?

characters: Rob Benedict, Richard Speight Jr, Mark Pellegrino, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard, Sebastian Roche, Chuck Shurley, Gabriel, Castiel, Lucifer, Balthazar, Crowley

warnings: I dreamt something along the lines of this and it's just pure crack, I apologise, fluff, angst, everyone is single because it gets weird. I wrote this at 4am :/

---

''So let's talk about Y/n's character! She hasn't been explained too much but we know her backstory.'' Wow, thank you, Mark Sheppard.

''Well, I'm pretty sure the fans already know.'' I shrug, but a glare from the man before me makes me roll my eyes.

''Come on, don't leave them in the dust, also sharing a name with your character is weird right?'' He teases me, I resist the urge to walk over and playfully slap him.

''Fine. She was created by God to please the angels in whatever way they needed, with her consent obviously. She creates a connection with Gabriel and their connection become the focus of her life, until she meets Crowley-'' I look over at Sheppard and paint a fake scowl on my face, sending the audience into light laughter. ''-who is also vying for her attention, but as you all know, she had been killed off at the end of the last season. Y'all didn't see that blinding golden light and her disappearing act?'' I raise my eyebrow at the crowd. They murmur amongst themselves.

''Are you sure she was killed off?'' Richard snickers from next to me. ''What if her dear Gabe just snapped her away for some-'' He wags his eyebrows to out fans. ''-angel on paragon action.''

''It's literally in the script shut up- or you know, believe this idiot.'' I smile, showing I meant no offense

''Scripts change! You know that!'' Misha reasons, aggressively.

''I suppose so.'' Leaving audiences in an unsolved mystery is the fun of cons.

---

Sitting in the green room, it's sweaty and warm after the panel. We are instantly greeted by our colleagues awaiting their next instructions such as Mark Pellegrino, Sebastian Roche and Rob Benedict.

''Welcome back, you little bastards.'' Sebastian's voice rings throughout the room, I groan, faceplanting onto the couch where Rob sat, fiddling with an acoustic guitar.

We sat, talked, ate, I napped, yknow the usual.

---

''So, do you think they will bring you back for the next season?'' Misha asks, I bite my lip and answer him.

''I have no idea, no one has said anything so maybe not. I'll be joining our widdle Kings of Con if not.'' I give a baby voice when talking about the couple that is R2.

''Hey!'' Rob's voice wavers in his distinct little way.

''Rude of you to call me little.'' Richard winks and I shoot gag at him, he feigns a frown.

''In other news-'' Mark Pellegrino's cut-in is interrupted by a blinding golden light, surrounding the room. I grip onto Rob's arm as the ground begins to shake, burring my head into his chest, I cover my eyes from the light. He holds me back just as tight, hiding in the comfort of my shoulder. One of many weird, intimate moments with him that makes people believe we are together.

A loud, pitched, sound rattles around us. A few of us scream in pain but I just whimper and move closer into Rob.

Suddenly, everything stops and stills.

I can't force myself to move.

''What the fuck?!'' I hear Misha, making me not want to move even more.

''Ha! Look, she's cuddling you. Awe.'' I hear Richard's voice, but it wasn't him, it didn't sound like him. I pull myself away from Rob's chest and look at the scene unfolding.

'What the fuck?'' I whisper, repeating Collins' earlier comment. Stood here, a few feet in front of us are Gabriel, Balthazar, Castiel, Crowley, Lucifer and Chuck. Did I miss something?

''Not happy to see us, darlin'?'' Gabriel smirks, a foot of his approaches me, I look at them in confusion and shock.

''W-What's going on?'' That is the first time I have ever heard Pellegrino stutter.

''We should probably talk...'' Chuck wavers his hands to us all, motioning us to listen to him.

''So, uh, Y/n here? She's our Y/n, from our reality and we kinda want her back.'' Gabriel shuffles his weight between each of his feet, I'm in too much terror to even speak, so is everyone else.

''You hear him, dickbags? We want her back.'' Lucifer crosses his arms, staring dead into Pellegrino's soul, presumably to make him uncomfortable.

''I don't understand-'' I stop myself, leaving it at that.

''Wait, do you not remember?'' Gabriel looks at me, broken eyes reflect his inside pain.

''Of course she doesn't, you bollock! Can't you see the look on her face?'' Crowley rolls his eyes but for some reason I can sense his true sadness.

''I will explain, better.'' Castiel takes a step towards me. ''You are Y/n Divine, our Divine, your the celestial from our existence. Your our...?'' He struggles to find the words, Balthazar answers for him. Not the lot of explaining I need there, Cas.

''Our collective soulmate, so to speak.'' He nods.

''Yeah, that's who I am in Supernatural but- this isn't the show, this is reality. I gotta be dreaming, oh my God-'' Chuck interferes (doesn't he always).

''That's me.'' The nervous laugh from the bearded almighty almost makes me laugh, almost, but the situation was too real for it. ''Would it help if I...showed you?'' He says, unsure of his choice of words.

For some reason, I pour my trust into him, and walk towards the clone of my almost boyfriend, I wished.

''Mind if I show all of you?'' Chuck asks, before ignoring some of the 'no's in the room and he snaps, bringing us into a dream state.

Scenes flow through our brains, ones that weren't in the show

---

Dressed in a white kaftan with golden afflictions, there was Y/n, lay in the greenest of grass. And next to her? Gabriel the Archangel. Almost in a Bella-Edward meadow position, the two looked into each other, reading one another's soul.

''Run away with me.'' Gabriel whispers, lighter than air.

''What?'' She snaps out of her dreamy daze.

''Let's leave, you don't need any other angel that isn't me.'' This breaks her heart, although Gabriel was her favourite and the one she had a special connection with, she had a duty to remain near the other angels.

''I want to-'' Gabe's heart lifts but sank soon after. ''-but you know I can't. I wasn't created to defy my purpose, I would cease to exist if I did.'' A tear rolls down her cheek, the light from the fading sun rested gracefully on her skin.

''I know. Oh, what was I thinking? My father will come after us and- I would rather now think about what he would do to us, to you.'' He looks away from her to relish in his pain.

''Don't be like that, my little Aurelian enchanter-'' She mentions the colour of his golden wings, which lay across the ground behind him, a beautiful sight. ''-the time will come where no angel needs me, then I can devote myself to you, only you.'' She mumbles, pressing a sure kiss to the peak of his nose. He huffs in a peaceful array of emotion.

''At least you don't kiss any other of my brothers or estranged family.'' He nudges back at her, nose to nose.

---

''That was sickening to watch.'' Pellegrino chuckles into the dark abyss of our voices, unable to see each other but still recognising each other within the blindness.

''Shall I show you another one?'' A rhetorical question from the Lord from above, as he whisks us into another memory.

---

She sat on a bench, clad in elegancy, the world was still new and beaming. New angels were being created, not all of them needed a divine celestial to aid them, so she spent her days watching the creations live. The bees harvesting pollen from the flowers was one of her favourite sights.

She felt an angelic presence appear next to her, but a new one, an unknown one.

''Who might you be?'' She asks, not tearing her eyes away from the fuzz of a creature.

''I am Castiel.'' Short and stat, seems like the kind of being he was, without a vessel he could be read more easily.

''No vessel yet, I assume?'' She looks towards the beam of light beside her.

''No, not yet. I hardly think there's a need for such a thing.'' His voice was the most beautiful she had heard, of all the angels, no vessel and no front made him so much more enticing.

''Well, nice to meet you. You're wings...they're black? Pretty though, new as well.'' She smiled at Castiel, his aura positively increased, the interaction helping them both. Just a simple amount of time in company can help an angel.

''Thank you.''

---

''So that's Castiel?'' Misha seems uneasy.

''Would you like to see the encounter between her and his vessel?''

---

She sat, with Balthazar, just grooming his beautiful wings. An act she did for her most favourite angels.

''Have you seen Castiel's vessel?'' He smiles up at her, in his own vessel.

''Not yet but I am excited though, from the comments I'm hearing, he is a most handsome fellow.'' She brushes past a certain spot, making Bal shiver in delight, not in a sexual manner.

''Ugh, like you don't find yourself infatuated with my golden winged brother already, don't go falling for another one.'' He groans in disgust, she laughs, melodically.

''I can promise you, I won't.'' That was a future lie.

''Hello, Y/n.'' A new voice from behind her, sensing the energy, she knew it was Cas.

A wide grin stretches across her features, ''Castiel!'' She shouts, whipping round to face the angel in his new restrictions. ''My, my, good choice, my angel.'' A nickname specifically reserved for the defying being.

''I would say 'thank you', but it would be a most similar and repetitive interaction.'' She sighs in relaxation, reliving her first encounter with Castiel.

''You are always welcome, you're one of my favourites.'' She boops his nose, squeaking 'boop' at the same time, Cas cocks his head in confusion.

''Boop?'' He questions her, she shrugs her shoulders.

''You're cute, so I booped you.'' She giggles, Castiel couldn't refuse the stutter in his 'emotions' as she spoke.

''Okay.''

---

I heard Mark Sheppard's voice throughout the void, ''YoU'rE cUtE, sO i BoOpEd YoU!'' His badgering voice pointing fun at me.

''Shut up.'' I mumble.

---

It was beautiful, the winding waterfall gushing down the rocks, watching it flow. She sat, in deep thought, things between Lucifer and Michael were getting tense, she was scared for the future.

''You don't need to worry about us, my little cherub.'' Lucifer's voice mixed eloquently with the sound of the waves slowly connecting the lake below.

''It's part of my job, I couldn't help it if I tried.'' She shrugged, she stared at the water, taking in the fresh air.

''I know that things aren't simple, they never will be, just know you will always have me. I have never spoken to anyone in such a tone before, you should be honoured, little one.'' This made her accumulate, she leaned back into hold, he was a median temperature. It was nice.

''My Lucifer.'' She grinned in thought. ''You always have been the most intriguing, I will never give up on you, I promise you that.'' She craned her neck to look at the blonde, before pressing the smallest of kisses to his jaw. She had never seen him so vulnerable, so honest with himself, and she wouldn't again for some time.

---

''My dear, this is too dangerous. You are not a warrior, you are a healer and an abettor. I can't let you, I'm sorry.'' Crowley's gruff rumble soaked the thin air, she wanted to fight for her angels- with her angels. She held the power, but not the will.

''I was made for this moment, this is my purpose, I have to do something.'' She pleads, tears stinging her eyes.

''Listen to me, darling, they need you alive more than you're help. Listen to what I'm saying, although I am nonpartisan, I can't remain unbiased. I fear that my little, fascination with you is what keeps you safe. The angels may not love it, but it keeps you safe whilst they handle their own. They want you safe, so that is what I will do.'' His short monologue seemed to flip something within Y/n, she stayed silent for a moment, reeling in thought. Hearing his repetition of the word safe just made her wish the same for her angels.

''I-I guess you're right. I don't want anything to happen to them, you remember last time, when it all-'' She couldn't bring herself to continue, relishing in the agony of remembering when Lucifer was cast.

''Yes, my dear, and you nearly got caught in the crossfire. It can't happen again, there is no other being like you and there never will be. The stories are that God nearly killed himself trying to create you, you are everything he wanted humanity to be.'' She smiled at this, he was trying to cheer her up with a bit of complimenting. ''Even if you are stubborn.'' She slapped his chest, as a farce and let out a small cachinnate.

---

Everyone was silent, things started to get heavy on thought and reason. No one could think of a word to say.

''One more for good measure, then we will asses you, Y/n.'' Uh, what does that mean?

---

The quiet air that surrounded the two was comforting and safe, content and peaceful. Y/n and Gabriel sat opposite one another, his wings lay in her lap as she did what she does best. Her hands traced up the outer lining of his wings, from top to bottom, before moving in the the inner feathers. She rolled a collection of feathers between her fingers each time she moving a few inches down, softly and gently. Working out the stress and the tightness that wound itself within them, he holds onto her knee, using it as a gripping post every once in a while. It wasn't a pain thing though, it was quite the opposite, the gratification and the bliss he was receiving from such a special moment was intense.

''I don't know why, I think your wings are my favourite.'' She hums out, brushing out the feathers she had been fixing in a swoop from the height of his wing and downwards, before moving on to the next section.

''Oh, really?'' Gabriel couldn't resist the playful tone residing in his comment, but that was what Y/n loved, he wasn't afraid to tease her.

''Without a doubt, they're mesmerising. Such a beautiful colour, and shape. They suit you so well.'' Slowly, she leans forward to kiss the corner of his mouth, before gently pulling herself back.

''Come on, sweetheart! You can do better than that-'' His voice is cut off by a staggering gasp as she unwinds a knot in his feather,  gripping her knee tight, he swoons.

She doesn't say a word, yet she picks up her head again, craning towards the angel's face. While continuing to brush out his ailerons of flight, she kisses him again, direct and strong. She moves against his lips with such care but much passion, Gabriel couldn't resist the slip of his tongue to her, she wasn't in any way complaining.

---

''Okay, that was upsetting to watch.'' Richard grumbles, we find ourselves back inside the green room, standing in front of us remain Chuck and Gabriel.

''You're telling me.'' I let a slanted expression reach my face.

''You mean you still don't remember?'' Gabriel's frown tugs at my heart, I feel something for him, but not as immense as what we have been watching.

''I have something that might work, but it might...do something?'' Chuck gives out a nervous chuckle, small and barely there.

''Do it, I need her back, I don't care about the consequences unless it hurts her.'' The strain and torment in his intonation is dismal.

''It won't hurt her, but it might- never mind, if it happens then it happens, if it doesn't then you will be happy you didn't know.'' Chuck walks towards me with purpose and I cower back slightly, a stern alarm on my face.

''W-Woah there, what are you doing?'' I reach out my hands in a 'stop' motion, he grabs hold of them.

''Bringing back your memory, I need you to focus on the moments you just watched, think about how you felt during them.'' I thought back, I felt as if I was the girl in the grass, and in heaven and the girl who loved the angels. I revelled in the select memories, the beautiful memories. ''Good, carry on thinking about them and how you felt.''

I felt a warmth surge through my hands, as they remained connected to Chuck's.

''It's working.'' I peek open my eyes and look down at our hands. Mine are white and hold a holy glow, my eyes widen as I look at the magic.

''This is you?'' I ask, Chuck shakes his head.

''It's you, well, it's us. You have your own powers, but this kind can only be used when I am touching you. You know you have angelic advantages, from the show?'' He explains in a way I understand, I nod. ''D-Do you want to remember this world? Along with your true one?'' I bit my lip before answering.

''I would, some people I can't let go.'' I look towards Rob, who stood off towards the side, the group of my colleagues still in shock of the situation, some whispering to each other.

''I see. Are you ready?'' The heat is getting more intense in my hands, a burning hot white light shines from then.

''I think so.''

''I need to warn you, you may not like what could happen next.'' He unclasps our hands before reaching up to sandwich my head between them. It wasn't painful, it was peculiar, my body went numb. This took around a minute before he took his hands of me.

My mind and his instantly travelled to a secluded world. It was barren and empty, but beautiful, Red sand and burnt skies surrounded me, small oasis' patched around. The sun was in a constant set, never going up nor down.

''Where are we?'' I asked Chuck, he was dressed in a white pant and shirt, I looked down towards myself. I was enclosed by a gorgeous lengthy white garment, a golden sash across my waist.

''We're in your head. How are you feeling?'' I smile.

''Like myself, thanks Chuck, nice to meet you by the way- can't believe I haven't said that yet, after all Gabe has told me.''

''Um, okay, this is going to be awkward to ask. What do you feel? When you look at me, that is.''

''Hm...'' I look into his soft eyes. I felt as if I belonged there, like it was home. My whole existence within his soul.

''That's- not good.'' He must have read me, because I didn't say that out loud. I widen my eyes, starting to panic. ''I-I mean, it could be? It depends how you feel on the matter.'' He tries to soothe me.

''Explain.'' Was all I said.

''We- well. I've linked us, not on purpose. You're life's fulfilment is with me now, along with the angels. I'm not your creator anymore, I'm your equal. Yet you are not light nor dark, your the meld of both, a mediator if you will. The love for the angels, can be found within myself now. I'm sorry, I never thought it would actually happen.'' I'm guessing this is the first time he has ever apologised, I don't know how but- I feel like I know everything about him. The almost humanitarian way he dabbles jn his powers is confronting.

''Yes, that's another edge you have, you know everything about me now, you know who I am and what I've done.'' He looks ashamed and off to the side.

''You may not be proud of who you are, but I am-'' I hold his hand and turn his head with my other. ''You're the creator, just because you have done bad things, does not mean you're a bad person.'' I feel like I've known him my whole life, I technically have. He remains silent.

''We will have our time, go seem them. If you ever need to see me and I'm not around, think of this place and I'll meet you here, no matter how far apart we are.'' He extracts us from the sanctuary.

I'm back in my own body, looking around at the awkward faces of my peers. We must have been stood, staring into space for some time.

''Hey-''I turn to Gabe as he speaks, walking towards him before I stop dead in my tracks. I swiftly run back to Chuck, slamming my lips against his, I feel my heart stutter in the shock of my own actions. He kisses me back with much more passion, before I pull away. I look at Rob, his mouth his hung open, using my power I look into his head.

He's shocked and- jealous. He thinks it's invigorating to see a version of himself kiss you. Realising he could've admitted his feelings to you, perhaps you wouldn't have gone back to them.

''Well- okay, that's new.'' Gabriel mutters, his voice cracks in the middle of his speech.

I turn and run towards Gabe.

''Don't worry, you're still my favourite.'' He yanks me into a hug, pulling me into a compact hug, I wrap my legs around his waist.

He whispers some enochian into my ear, I bite my lip and smile. Along the lines of 'should I book the hotel now or later?'.

''You know full well we don't need to do that.'' I couldn't help but tease him back, he sighs in content, happy to have us back.

''I'm- confused, what the fuck is going on?'' Sebastian calls.

''If you want, you can make them forget, Y/n.'' Chuck announces, a valley of yelling and protests wash over me from the Supernatural cast.

''Can I? It could be for the best...'' I trail off, the cast look at me with hurt in their eyes, I decide to communicate with Rob through his head.

'Rob' He looks around, alarmed. 'I'm in your mind, don't panic'

'How could you? I know you aren't meant to be here but please don't make me forget you' I could hear the pain within him.

'I won't completely, you'll know me, but not as who I am. You will know me as your colleague and friend, I'll visit you'

'I love you, I'm sorry I never said it' I heard his heart shatter.

'I love you too, maybe we can develop something in the future' Maybe I was asking too much of myself, maybe not.

''You ready to go back?'' Chuck waltzes toward me and Gabriel. ''Other angels want to see you, I can hear them, it's rather annoying.'' I smile at the thought of seeing them all again, this time knowing who they are to me.

''I think so.'' I turn back to say my goodbyes.

''Misha, you are one of the most genuine and kind people this Earth can offer, I'm so happy I met you.'' I move forward to hug him, channelling my power, as soon as I leave this plane it will activate- leaving them in the state they were before.

''Mr. Sheppard, you smarmy bastard, never change. The world couldn't take it. I'll see you soon.'' I step forward to hug him.

''My, my, Pellegrino, a tear? Not going soft on me, are you?'' He shakes his head, rolling his eyes at me. ''I'll miss you and your karaoke.'' I hug him, he holds on a little longer, refusing to let me go. I look at him with sad eyes, before turning to Sebastian.

''You and your attitude Roche, you're such a light person, you'll see me again and I promise you that. Keep up the humour, you're not yourself without it.'' I hug him, ejecting a powerful wave.

''Richard, I will admit you are my best friend, even when you're trying to sleep with everything that walks. Take care of Robbie for me, I won't be too long before my next visit, so hold on.'' I grip him in my arms, pulling gently on his beard as we part, before getting mockingly swatted away.

I couldn't sat goodbye to Rob, looking at his disheartened face. ''R-Robbie-'' I tried not to cry, saying goodbye to so many friends is breaking me.

''I can't explain how much you mean to me, I love you, in every way you can imagine. I love you all.'' I hug Rob, not wanting to let go.

''Please don't go.'' His whimper makes me finally let out tears.

''I need to. I promise I'll return.'' I think about my next action, before deciding on it.

'Pull away if you don't want this.' I say to him, his head is swimming with agony.

Kissing him, very lightly, I feel tears mix on my lips. I pull away before I get too attached.

''Gonna miss you, so much.'' He whispers to me, clutching my shirt in his hands.

''I have to go, bye Benedict, till we meet again.'' I try to spin a comedic affect into my words, stepping away from my best friends.

Chuck holds out his hands, Gabriel and I connect to them. I shut my eyes, I can't face what I'm leaving behind. I feel a golden illumination against my shut eyelids.

It's not forever, but I will miss them.

[weird-aunt]

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With all the discourse on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, let's spread some positive vibes by remembering what we love about the trilogy. Fill in and tag your friends. Feel free to add your own categories to this survey.

Thank you @briarfox13 for the tag!!

I have like two Mass Effect friends so I’ll go ahead and tag @commandersarah @pathfinderlittleduck @pip-n-flinx and @memaidraws

I am a fan since:  Maaayyyybe 2012??? Or possibly 2013. I know it was my first “real” boyfriend’s favorite game so he let me borrow the series in high school sometime after I got an xbox for the first time. Fun fact- my first romance was Kaidan because they shared a name and then I eventually ended up romancing Garrus on my fourth??? playthrough and then it wasn’t long after that we broke up lmao

Favourite game of the series?: 3, the score is so good, the gameplay is the best of the three IMO, it’s the culmination of everything from the past two games and I just LOVE seeing all the disparate plots and side quests all coming togetheer

MShep or FShep?: FShep

Earthborn, Colonist,or Spacer: Earthborn! Mostly because it’s the origin that ties in best with my OC Laena’s backstory tbh

Biotics or Tech: BIOTICS FUCK YEAH!! Overload is good for them marauders but no one knows how deadly Sir Isaac Newton is like a biotic

Paragon or renegade: Paragon for sure, but you know ya girl never misses that renegade interrupt to get Kai Leng

Favourite Class?: Sentinel always

Favourite Companion: gotta love Garrus, but not counting romances EDI is probably my fave

Least favourite Companion: I half want to say Ashley solely because that’s how I can justify leaving her behind every time but since I always do I honestly don’t know her enough to dislike her lol. My least favorite of the consistent companions is Liara. She’s just too much, like she’s too much either way. When she’s innocent and naive she’s a little too childlike but then when she goes all rage she has absolutely zero control she’s just exhausting honestly

My Squad Selection:

Mass Effect 1- Garrus and Kaidan or occasionally Wrex

Mass Effect 2- I feel like I mixed this one up a little bit more often (mostly because you had to take each companion on their own loyalty mission) but usually always Garrus and then Miranda was probably my most often second person

Mass Effect 3-Garrus and EDI every time

Favourite In-game Romance: Shakarian always

Other pairings I like: I’m still fond of Shenko and even though it’s not canon I gotta support Ashley x Fshep for my girl

Favourite NPC: Anderson and Dr. Chakwas, nothing can replace my love for Dr. Chakwas, but Bailey gets an honorable mention

Favourite Antagonist: Kai Leng solely because the final scene with him was just so good but I gotta say I also enjoyed Maya Brooks

Favourite Mission: Oh gosh I’m definitely a fan of Overlord, but nothing beats the absolute adrenaline rush I get every time I do the Rannoch mission in ME3

Favourite Loyalty Mission: I have a love/hate relationship with Grunt’s loyalty mission, I love killing the thresher maw but also I hate killing the thresher maw, but the one I really enjoy the most is Jack’s. I feel like a lot of people really relate to seeing Jack confront her childhood trauma and I just love seeing the unique aspects of her character through the mission

Favourite DLC: Well I can’t not say the Citadel DLC, it really is so much fun, but I also loved Overlord, partially because I’m just glad Shepard gets to shut that shit down

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: I think theoretically speaking, synthesis is what my preferred ending would be, but since I can never kill Shepard I always go with destroy

Favourite Weapon: Phaeston rifle

Favourite Place: I feel like it’s a cop out to say the Normandy, but there’s no place like home you know

A quote I like: The one that always makes me giggle? “Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son-of-a-bitch in space!" but in a more serious theme “Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters” I always play a paragon Shep but damn that line is raw

[barbariccia]

i’ve always thought omega had a really cool design. it’s a gritty place, in keeping with its name - omega ( Ω or ω ), as the last letter of the greek alphabet, tends to symbolize the end of something (typically in a line or list of things that have come previously), especially in christian camps, contrasting alpha ( Α or α ) which refers to the beginning. the alpha and the omega are a title of christ and apt enough, meaning that christ is the beginning and the end of all things.

suitable, then, that omega is in terminus space - the end of civilization - and frequently left abandoned, in the corse of an asteroid.

as you land, you’re approached by a salarian, and then a batarian, who tells the salarian to make himself scarce after a brief meeting. the batarian turns to us.

Moklan: Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega... Shepard.

turns out we’re not exactly on the down-low, and they’ve had their eyes on us since the second we stepped into omega space, with the so-called leader aria wanting to know why a dead spectre is in her area. we’re told in no uncertain terms to go make ourselves known to her, and, well, we don’t exactly know where we’re meant to be going to find our scientist yet, so we might as well.

aria t’loak resides in the afterlife club, because just because you’re at the end of all things doesn’t mean there’s nowhere else to go. it’s big and gaudy and in high demand; a vid of three asari strippers dancing plays directly above the entrance, and a line of people is waiting impatiently to get by the elcor bouncer, who’s got no time for these people who aren’t on the list. and boy, it’s gaudy on the inside, too, with the hallway leading to the club proper playing images of flickering fire. oh, and the lighting in here is atrocious, truly suitable for a nightclub.

there’s a little pack of batarians who think you’re looking at them wrong, and you get to tell them to pound dirt before you enter afterlife... which is a wholeass spectacle.

it’s dark and dingy and there’s asari dancing above the bar, where you can order as many drinks as you like from, courtesy of a well-dressed turian barkeep. after a little dutch courage, you can go up to the next level, to the private lounge where aria keeps her eye on the rest of the club, and as you ascend the stairs, she speaks.

it’s a whole mexican standoff of sorts, guns pointed in every direction, and me just wanting a nice chat with a new friend. :( her batarian bodyguard scans us with his omnitool - and even if you object, you’ve no choice but to suffer through this.

Shepard: I was told you’re the person to talk to if I have questions.

Aria: Depends on the questions.

Shepard: You run Omega?

aria might just be my favourite asari in the franchise; she still suffers from “skin on display even while dressed” disease, but she feels fully autonomous and doesn’t put up with bullshit. sure, the idea of a Tough Woman is a whole trope in and of itself, but in a series where belonging to this particular race throws you firmly into one of three feminine ideals while considering them a magical space-elf race that everyone’s attracted to by rote, it’s real nice to see an example that doesn’t do the same thing as everyone else. hell, even benezia is blown out of the water by aria, who doesn’t come across as evil so much as self-serving, and tough to keep her iron rule going.

Shepard: One scan and we’re straight to business? People are usually more concerned about who I am.

Aria: Your death was downplayed, but hardly what I call a secret. I had to make sure it was really you. You could have been anyone. Anything.

Shepard: Tell me how you got set up here.

Aria: That’s as privileged as information gets. I have many friends and enemies I keep at varying distances. I don’t count you among either. We’ll see how useful you prove. Short answer: mind your own damn business.

Shepard: You must know what’s on Omega.

Aria: Everything that’s worth knowing. I don’t usually give it out freely. Information is power. Mundane things, you can find yourself. Take a walk in a back alley, or buy one of the mercs a drink. Better yet, talk to the entertainers. They give great tours.

there are two dossiers to fulfill on omega, and you can ask aria about both of them.

Archangel is a mercenary commander whose operations are noted for their technical expertise and strategic brilliance. He is responsible for high-profile attacks on gang leaders on Omega and can likely be found there.

Dr. Mordin Solus is a salarian biological weapons expert whose technology may hold the key to countering Collector attacks. He is currently operating a medical clinic in the slums of Omega.

Shepard: I’m trying to track down Archangel.

Aria: You and half of Omega. You want him dead, too?

Shepard: Why’s everyone after him?

Aria: He thinks he’s fighting on the side of good. There is no good side to Omega. Everythign he does pisses someone off. It’s catching up to him.

Shepard: Just the kind of guy I’m looking for.

Aria: Really? Well, aren’t you interesting. You’re going to make some enemies teaming up with Archangel. That’s assuming you can get to him. He’s in a bit of trouble right now. The local merc groups have joined forces to take him down. They have him cornered, but it sounds like they’re having trouble finishing him off, and started hiring anybody with a gun to help them.

Shepard: What can you tell me about him?

Aria: Not as much as I’d like. He showed up here several months ago and started causing all sorts of problems. If you make your own laws -- which everyone her does -- he makes life difficult. He’s reckless and idealistic. But he seems to know enough to stay clear of me.

she tells us that every major merc group is after archangel right now, which is incredible in itself, because they’re never seen together unless they’re warring. archangel has done the impossible.

Shepard: Know where I can find Mordin Solus?

Aria: The salarian doctor? Last I heard he was trying to help plague victimes in the quarantine zone. I always liked Mordin. He’s as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you.

Shepard: What can you tell me about him?

Aria: Used to be part of the Salarian Special Tasks Group. He’s brilliant and dangerous. Just don’t get him talking. He never shuts up. If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they’ll let you in, of course.

that’s all aria has to say; we take a trip downstairs to sign up with the blue suns to hunt down and flush out archangel. but not before some sexism!!

you DO NOT GET THIS LINE or any equivalent if you’re playing as a male shepard. all the recruiter says is “you three look like you could do some damage. looking for a good fight?” and BOY FUCKING HOWDY why would you include this. why would you include this line at all. why would anyone think this was a good idea. why would you not include an equivalent for mshep if you were going to do this. i hate this line and i lose my fucking temper every time i think about it because wow, guess fucking what, we never see any batarian females! we never see any salarian females! we never see any god damn turian female characters! we don’t know SHIT about the women of this universe and oh, it’s so gratifying to know that even in the future, even across the galaxy, even non-humans don’t value women as equal to men. where’s your culture differences? where’s your fucking worldbuilding? you cannot mean to tell me the entire galaxy works on the same sexist paradigm of “man good women weak hurrhurr” because that’s so fucking lazy and weak and i despise it.

you get a choice (renegade, obvs), to pull a pistol on the guy, and then the lines carry on as usual. you buy into the blue suns, making a note to kill every one of the bastards when you’re done picking up archangel, and leave the club to find a transport just outside, where we’ll be carried away to the fight against archangel. as you leave, there’s a human kid that walks in and wants to join the fight as well - you can ask him just how old he is, and do a paragon interrupt to stop him from joining a fight that’s already taken out countless teams trying to get to this merc, but i was angry enough that i let it slide. teach the kid a lesson about trying to be fucking macho and the consequences.

grumbles loudly.

[laurelsofhighever]

The Falcon and the Rose Ch. 40 - Correspondence Interrupts

This letter is bordered by talented sketches of angular motifs, lofty architecture, and statues of Paragons, as well as various dwarven contraptions that have no counterpart on the surface. At the bottom is a doodled stick figure hitting its head on a door lintel.

--

23rd Solace, 9:32 Dragon

Dear Rosslyn,

I miss you.

Did you think that would be it? I was tempted, believe me, but then I thought you might not write back in retaliation, or really go off and fight a bear just to prove a point, and neither of those things is really appealing. Orzammar is huge. The journey here was quiet, a few days up White River then across the pass on horseback. Eamon was trying to be useful, I think, but his way of going about it makes me remember Brantis’ endless etiquette lessons with fondness. His pointers for meeting King Bhelen did help, though, so I shouldn’t really complain too much. You’ll be pleased to know I only made a fool of myself once, when I called Second Matron Nerav “Your Majesty” and managed to insult everyone in the vicinity. At least that made a good first impression on Bhelen’s sister – I don’t think they’re a very fond family, but don’t tell Eamon I said that.

But we don’t need to dwell on that. You should see this place. (And not just because then you would be here with me and I’d get to enjoy your company – have I mentioned that I miss you yet?) We’ve been housed in the Diamond Quarter, which is disappointingly unencrusted with gems, with rooms that overlook the river of lava that flows below the city. It’s a lot of lava. I guess they just hope it never erupts, or that people don’t fall into it. I try to stay away from the edge of my terrace, because the walls are just a bit too low and if I tripped, well, nobody would really know what happened. Eamon would chide me for saying it, but there are probably a lot of noble dwarves down there who ‘tripped over their bootlaces’.

Tomorrow they’re going to hold something called a Proving in my honour. It’s some sort of tourney, from what they tell me, and after there’s going to be a market in the Diamond Quarter by special dispensation, whatever that means. I would have put all that in this letter, but then what if you got bored reading it? Or it was delayed and you thought I hadn’t written at all? This is much safer. I still have one to Cailan that has to be finished before the morning, so I should get to that.

Yours,

Alistair

PS. They have private bathing rooms here with engineered sluices that channel hot water over your head and then drain it away, with little knobs and dials that let you change the temperature. It’s like the hot springs in Redcliffe, but without the smell. I’m going to ask how they’re crafted and then try and persuade Cailan to have some fitted in the palace, for when this war is over.

PPS. The doors are all too low.

~~~~~~~~

This letter is written in fine ink and paper in a flowing hand. One corner is waterstained, as if the package in which it was carried sprang a small leak.

--

27th Solace, 9:32

Dear Alistair,

Receiving your letter was a balm for an otherwise miserable day, especially when I saw your sketches. You have the hand of an artisan, and I’m sure there are many more wonders in Orzammar that you have yet to see. Rest assured I could never get bored reading about them. The sluices especially sound fascinating. Once you have the specifications, perhaps I should order some for Highever as well?

My journey so far has been eventful, but not pleasant. We are two days late to Redcliffe, having tacked against a changeable wind all the way from Lakehead, and only just made it to the harbour in time to beat the true storm. It’s lashing against the castle walls as I write, making such a noise I doubt I’ll sleep more than a few hours, and if it continues to the morning it might be best to order a reprieve and delay the journey to Gwaren. I’m trying not to take this as an omen, but the wind almost seems to have a voice, and between that and Cuno’s continued nausea, this campaign is not off to an auspicious start. Ser Gideon, at least, seems to be keeping a steady hand on the reins in my absence. Take that to mean: Baudrillard is behaving himself, for now.

There is little left to report here, except that things are too quiet without you, and the captain’s cabin seems much bigger without a bunkmate. Brantis has taken ill with a cold, and since Cailan has little need for another chamberlain on the front lines, I have talked him out of putting his health in danger by travelling with us, though he put up a fight worthy of an ash warrior. Lasan has missed me, and in fact he nearly knocked me over in his excitement when I visited the stables. I will take it as a sign of affection rather than restiveness, especially since the arl’s Master Dennet seems a responsible sort and has kept him well exercised. The man had many fond things to say about you, by the way; is it true you once tried to raise a stray fennec cub in a corner of the kennels without the arl knowing?

You can save your answer for your next letter. In the meantime, please don’t fall into lava, and be careful about Eamon. He has more experience, but don’t forget you are the Prince. My father once taught me a trick for dealing with his Banns: listen to them, tell them you’ll take their opinion under advisement, and then do what you were going to do in the first place. It’s always better to make sure that’s an informed decision, but Cailan has faith in you, and so do I.

I miss you.

Yours,

Rosslyn

PS. There are rumours of a large number of bears roaming the Redcliffe arling. Don’t tempt me.

~~~~~

This letter is written in several different inks. Doodles and diagrams of fighting stances decorate the margins.

--

25th Solace, 9:32 Dragon

Dear Rosslyn,

I keep wondering if my last letter has reached you yet. I’ve barely had time to sit down, let alone write, and I didn’t want to do it in fits and starts in case I missed something out. Yesterday started early, with the Proving. We sat in a box above an arena and watched what must have been five rounds of a tournament before lunch. I assume it was lunch. It would be far easier to tell down here with one of Bann Ferrenly’s clockworks – may have discovered something Eamon calls ‘a niche in the market’.

The dwarves have a fascinating fighting style, it’s spare and direct, and if you were here I’m sure you’d have something to say about it. In duelling matches, at least, the two opponents sometimes circle each other to find a weak point, but once they engage there’s very little lateral movement, and they seem to favour forward momentum instead, perhaps due to confines of fighting in tunnels? Eamon didn’t seem very interested when I pointed this out, but afterwards Valesh– that’s Bhelen’s sister – asked what was different about surface fighting, and offered to spend some time sparring with me. Just you wait, I’ll have some new tricks to show you when I get back!

I wish the day had ended as well as it began. In the final of the Proving, one of the fighters turned out to be a casteless dwarf in disguise, and despite clearly outmatching her opponent, she was arrested. Nobody will tell me what happened to her, and they all wondered why I cared in the first place.

26th

Negotiations started today. They didn’t get very far. If you thought Fereldan politics were tiresome, the Assembly seems to make a sport of infighting. And who knew how complicated mining rights could be? All that came of a three-hour long meeting was a headache and a vague assurance that there would be a market for Fereldan goods if a trade route was formalised, though I’m not entirely sure what we’d be getting in return unless Cailan thinks to take over the majority of lines from Orlais. It’s all just a big, tangled knot of hot air. Eamon says these things always start like this. We’ve been offered a tour of the city soon, when time allows.

2nd August

I should have sent this days ago. Not having above your head blurs everything together here, so I lost track and before I knew it, it was already All Soul’s Day. I hope you’re alright. Know I’m thinking about you, and I’d be there if I could. I miss holding you, and kissing you, and generally just being in your company. Today of all days, I want you to know it, and I hope you’ve got company. Not the Orlesians, they don’t count. Maybe this letter can give you some comfort, even if it is a little late getting to you. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been a month since I saw you. I hope the weather is better for you now, and Brantis’ cold, and Cuno’s poor stomach. Being confined with him in that cabin would be enough to give anyone nightmares, though if I may be so bold, the rest of the company more than made up for it last time.

Enclosed is a dagger I found in the market. Eamon said it was too expensive, but since I took yours and you don’t get to be here to see the craftsmanship for yourself, it’s only fair. The stallholder called it ‘The Rose’s Thorn’. I’m not sure the design on the pommel really resembles a rose, but the blade is dragonbone and I thought you’d find a use for it. I hope you like it.

Yours,

Alistair

PS. Nobody ever proved how that fennec got into Isolde’s favourite picnic basket!

~~~~~~~~

8th August, 9:32 Dragon

Dear Alistair,

The Rose Prince of Ferelden thinks I’ll be able to use the Rose’s Thorn, does he? I am shocked. How very forward, and after such bold claims about wanting to kiss me!

Are you blushing now? I’m picturing a blush to the tips of your ears, but if you’re not quite that affected, then no matter. I have a list of all the innuendo I thought to use, and when you return I’ll be sure to read them all to you, out loud in funny voices so I can hear you laugh. In all seriousness, the dagger is beautiful in every way, including the design on the pommel, and I will treasure it, all the more because it came from you. Expect Cailan to be very grumpy in his next letter, however; he was quite put out to find there wasn’t another Thorn for him.

I kept busy on All Soul’s Day overseeing the harbour blockade. The townsfolk aren’t entirely happy about losing their deepwater berths as it means their larger vessels are trapped behind the breakwall and the smaller ones cannot be taken as far onto the sea, nor catch as many fish, but the alternative is that Loghain would be able to land soldiers in Gwaren again, and we none the wiser as we push north. It is a necessary precaution, and it was Cailan’s own idea to compensate the people with the supplies leftover from Lothering – undrugged, you’ll be pleased to hear. Otherwise, the king has been rather morose. He puts on a cheerful face, but the loss of Anora has been a blow to him and to our plans. When I am not mediating quarrels between the soldiers, it’s a task trying to engage him in anything other than maps and battle plans. Perhaps he will respond to the latest idea devised by Captain Morrence – though I suspect Leliana, who still has not revealed her true dastardly nature as an Orlesian spy, had a hand in it too. They wish to try a unit of mounted archers modelled after the Steppe people of the Anderfels in order to make an effective counterpoint to the hitting force of the chevaliers. If it works, it will be especially useful in situations where our archers would otherwise be vulnerable to flanking. When you return, you won’t be the only one with something new to teach the other!

We will be decamping in the next few days, heading for the Brecilian Passage. The Bannorn between here and South Reach are firmly under Loghain’s control, and I am not looking forward to it, though better news comes from the coast. The Clayne have blockaded both Amaranthine and Highever, and sunk three triremes off the coast of Brandel’s Reach.

I don’t mind if you think about kissing me.

Yours,

Rosslyn

~~~~~~~

18th August, 9:32 Dragon

Dear Rosslyn,

I never thought you had it in you – turning a generous, perfectly innocent gesture into base insinuation! You are a terrible, terrible person for toying with a man’s sincerity like this (but I’m glad you like the dagger). Maybe Eamon will get one for Cailan if he asks nicely. And now my mind is picturing the awful connotations of that sentence, and it’s all your fault.

However, you can’t just drop an idea like mounted archers without more details. Do you know how you would implement it? Are you turning archers into riders, or riders into archers? Either way, if they prove successful, it would be so much easier to keep ranged fighters out of harm’s way, and that could free up more of our infantry as attack units. I’m sure you’ll work out the logistics, you always do.

As for here, the discussions at the Assembly are still going in circles, so King Bhelen has decided on a recess while the nobles decide exactly what they want. He seems to genuinely want to open Orzammar to foreign trade, but a lot of the noble houses are traditional and they won’t do anything without precedent from the Shaperate. While we wait, Valesh has appointed herself as my unofficial guide, since like most of the upper-caste women here she doesn’t seem to have much else to do. I’ve seen most of the Diamond Quarter and the Commons, but Bhelen still seems determined to present Orzammar’s best side to me, and I wasn’t permitted to the lower levels of Dust Town, where the casteless dwarves live. Their situation riles me, to be honest. They spend their lives being told they’re worthless, and then are never allowed to prove themselves otherwise, simply because they were born to the wrong parents. Is it any wonder they turn to crime when there aren’t any alternatives? Valesh seemed confused when I pointed this out to her – she said I would never have been counted casteless because Maric was my father, but that isn’t the point. And it makes me wonder about how just our own criminal system is, and how much privilege works to moderate punishment.

It’s a thought for another time. For now, know that I think about kissing you a lot, but mostly I just want you here. I miss you.

Alistair

PS. Is it entirely certain Anora has betrayed us to Loghain? Perhaps Cailan has reason to hope yet, and no reason to do anything rash.

~~~~~~

Traces of dirt and blood cover the edges of this letter.

--

25 Aug, 9:32

Alistair,

There has been no time, and a response to your last letter has remained unwritten longer than I would have liked, though I thought about doing so every day. Our supply lines were ambushed on the Southern border, all but twenty of the guards killed. The rest of the army is fine – I am fine – but without stores, our progress north has been halted while we requisition from the local villages, and I have set aside plans for the mounted archers until we can field the extra horses. The Orlesians are being kept back from requisition duty by Cailan’s command, and so far they are holding to it, which is a mercy; the soldiers we have sent out are under strict orders not to use excessive force to take what is needed, and to compensate the goods fairly, but we are not popular with the people here. I cannot entirely blame them. After all, Howe has done the same in Highever, and I condemn him. We are taking food away from the people who will need it most in the coming months, with no guarantee that they will benefit – and yet I know Bann Ceorlic has manufactured the scarcity with an aim to painting the king as a villain. He robs his own subjects ahead of us so that when our scouting parties reach a settlement, we must choose either to take what little is left or to leave them be and go hungry, and either choice is a victory for him. He means to starve us out and then offer battle when we are weakened. It is a cunning plan, but he underestimates our discipline.

I wish you were here. You would know exactly what to say, or you would see some insight the rest of us have missed. At the very least, you might have better luck than me persuading Cailan to cheer up. He received a letter from Anora two days ago but would not let me know its contents, and since then he has been downtrodden and prone to snap at everyone. This situation makes me uneasy. Either she is betraying us, or she is betraying Loghain, or she intends to play both sides against one another and claim allegiance to whichever emerges victorious, and there will be no way to tell her true purpose until the dust settles.

You, at least, seem to have found an ally in Valesh Aeducan. She might not be fond of her brother, but if her goals are aligned with his, she might be willing to help you win over the other deshyrs. What is Eamon doing to help these negotiations progress? Be careful he doesn’t try to block your input.

It’s not the same without you.

Rosslyn

~~~~~~~~

30th August, 9:32 Dragon

Rosslyn,

Don’t ever compare yourself to Howe. That man is a monster. I saw the reports coming out of Highever just as you did, and I know you would never go as far as that, or take such delight in causing pain. The fact that you’re even considering your actions in such a light proves you are a better person. I’m afraid I can’t help much with the rest, but I know you’ll persevere. You’re too stubborn for anything else. (That was meant to be a joke!) Be careful against Ceorlic, and don’t worry too much about me, I’m learning to keep my wits. Eamon spends his days trying to curry favour with various nobles, and when he isn’t doing that, the both of us are shut up with Bhelen, negotiating one way then another about whether Orzammar should keep sending weapons to Orlais, or how to standardise our currencies for fair exchange, or other things that are almost equally interesting. Part of me is starting to think we’re being kept around for the amusement of the Diamond Quarter, with all the running around we do, but Valesh at least has agreed to teach me about her culture. In return, she wants to learn more about Ferelden. I told her you would make a better teacher, which made her laugh. Apparently I spend most of my time talking about you. If that’s true, it still doesn’t compare to how often I think about you. Which is a lot, in case there was any doubt.

The lack of sunlight is starting to get to me, I think.

Yours,

Alistair

~~~~~~~~~~~

This letter is written in a shaky hand, the ink smudged and the corners scuffed, with the distinct smell of elfroot lingering on the paper.

--

29th August, 9:32 Dragon

Alistair,

I know what you’re going to say. It was reckless, and stupid, and dangerous, but without any bears to test myself against, my options were rather limited. I meant that as a joke, but seeing it written down, it doesn’t much feel like one. I might blame the palliative the healers gave me, but truth be told there has been precious little humour to go around in the past few days and we are all stretched thin. Rest assured I am alright, untainted, and for an encounter with a hurlock captain, three broken fingers and some bruising doesn’t seem like much of a price. If not for the timely arrival of the Grey Wardens, the toll could have been much worse. The darkspawn came out of the ground less than a day away from where we were to meet Ceorlic, and the horde was of a size dangerous enough to call a truce between us. Even so, having to keep the dogs back for fear of the taint, this is the first time I have been truly grateful for the hitting power of the chevaliers. When the Wardens arrived, the ferocity of the horde seemed to vanish, and the last of them were chased down with immolations to prevent the surrounding lands being Blighted. Ceorlic fell in the battle, but his adjutant made permanent peace and has agreed to join us in return for having saved their lands. His soldiers have their parole and are being permitted to tend to their harvest. It was Cailan that led the charge that saved us; he is more grounded now, and seems more resolved in his duties as King, which is a weight off my mind.

The Grey Wardens stayed for the funeral rites. They were led by Warden-Commander Duncan, in fact, and he asked after you when he found out we knew each other. He’s quite charming, in a roguish sort of way, and we talked for a while, mostly about Highever and old stories from the coastlands. He threatened to invoke the Right of Conscription for me, but I pointed out I was more valuable to the Wardens as an ally than a recruit, and he let me be, but perhaps only because I allowed him to pick volunteers from the ranks to bolster the numbers he lost in the battle. Some went with the promise that the Joining would cure the taint from their injuries in the battle, and it saddens me to say the man you matched at Lothering was among them; he was a fine and dedicated soldier, and hopefully now a dedicated Warden.

I may have to employ a scribe until this injury heals, because writing with my off-hand is intolerably slow, and Cailan is hovering. His enthusiasm is much restored, but as eager as he is to send you his own account, I made him wait until I’d finished this.

Yours, as ever,

Rosslyn

~~~~~~~~~

2nd Kingsway, 9:32 Dragon

Rosslyn,

Eamon received the official report sent through this morning. The news has spread fast, and defeating a horde of darkspawn has probably impressed the nobility here more than anything else we’ve done so far, especially with Cailan’s flair for storytelling, but there was nothing from you. The aftermath of a battle is always busy, and especially where darkspawn are involved, but please, I need to hear from you that you’re alright. Duncan used to tell me stories about how the taint can lie dormant, about how everything’s fine until it’s not.

Please send word when you can.

Alistair

~~~~~~~

13th Kingsway, 9:32 Dragon

Alistair,

Your lessons in the Shaperate must be taking up a lot of time. There have been two rounds of letters since our darkspawn encounter, and yet I haven’t heard from you. I’ve missed reading about your life as a paragon of diplomacy – and no, it isn’t the same when Cailan is the one telling me about how you brought Lord Dace around to the idea of luxury imports by waxing lyrical about plum jam.

We took Vintiver. The place is little more than a fortress and an attached hamlet, well stocked for a traditional siege. I ordered the mages to raze it instead. The walls shattered and crushed the houses when Bann Grainne refused terms, which meant the reinforcements they were expecting from Aikwith arrived too late and were caught unprepared. It is thanks to Queen Anora’s intelligence that we knew they were coming, but the ruthlessness of the plan was mine alone. Anora’s apparent decision to side with us still seems too good to be true, but with both Bann Grainne and Bann Jevrin on their way to Redcliffe’s dungeons, I am willing to reserve judgement for now.

I cannot help but wonder what you would think of all this. I wish you were here, instead of trapped under a mountain. I wish you would write to me.

~~~~~~~~~

15th Kingsway, 9:32 Dragon

Everything I hear about your campaign in the south is success. You must lose track of the days, and marching leaves little time for letter-writing, but I miss them. I miss hearing your voice, even if it is only in my head. Did I do something wrong? Say something? I’ve reread your letters over and over but I can’t see anything that makes it look like you were upset with me. Do you miss me? Are you even reading these before you throw them away?

Cailan says you’re well, but his words sound like false cheeriness, and I can’t help but worry. The negotiations are finally moving forward. We agreed mining rights yesterday, and a cultural exchange of smelters for gardeners. There are some things that will never grow underground, but we might at least be able to broaden Orzammar’s local cuisine to include more than just lichen and nugmeat.

Please write back.

Alistair

~~~~~~~~

16th Kingsway, 9:32 Dragon

Alistair,

The Bannorn is steadily coming under our control, but cracks are starting to show. Baudrillard and his mercenaries are beginning to boast of their role in the campaign, and I fear where it will lead, especially now I have vetoed his suggestion to bring in more chevaliers. Besides that, the year is marching on and still we have no sight of Highever, or Denerim. The harvest sits in the fields, and when the frosts come there will be nothing salvageable, and nothing to eat unless the coffers are drained to import grain from the Free Marches.

I don’t know why I keep writing these letters, why I keep denying the inevitable. Cailan says you’re well, and Teagan too since he joined us to take Hestley and Fenwater. I am relieved to hear it, but you’ll write to tell them so, and not to me? I only know you talk to Teagan because he said you enquired after me in your latest letter. What can I have done to deserve this silence? Barely two months ago you stood on the cliffs above Dunedyn and told me you wished to court me, and I believed it. I’ve seen too much of you to think you would act so cruelly as to ignore me after that. If you are still reading these, tell me what I have done, so I may redress it. Or is there some other explanation, and it is just my letters going astray? Do you think I am not writing to you?

Cailan has just come to invite me to dinner. I must seem very down indeed if even he has noticed my mood.

I still miss you.

Rosslyn

~~~~~~~~

This letter is wrinkled in places and smells like beer, written in an uneven, scrawling hand.

--

26th Kingsway, 9:32 Dragon

Rosslyn, why won’t you talk to me? Another batch of letters, and another, and still nothing. you can’t be that busy, and I refuse to believe what you said that day on the cliff was meaningless, but I don’t know what to think anymore. Is this Cailan’s influence? Eamon mentioned that the king’s letters are “encouraging” but I didn’t have the stomach to ask further. I can’t think that you would find me so replaceable, but then I keep wondering, has he kissed you yet? Bedded you, after everything you said to me in the broch? Did you enjoy it? There was a feast today to celebrate King Bhelen’s birthday, featuring all sorts of surface food to get the deshyrs more used to foreign customs, but I barely said two words, I couldn’t get the image out of my head, until I somehow ended up alone with Valesh. We talked. I don’t remember the subject, but it hardly matters. Nothing is what it seemed. One moment we were joking and the next she slid out of her chair and offered to perform an act for me. She said if I liked, I could think of you while she did it, that I could pretend it was you. Maker forgive me, but I nearly let her.

I miss you so much it hurts. These trade negotiations and Bhelen’s pushes for change are crowding out the casteless dwarves that live in Dust Town, there’s fighting in the streets, but all I can think of is what you might say, what you might do if you were here.

But you’re not, and you won’t talk to me and I don’t know why.

~~~~~~~~

There are several blotches partially obscuring the words of this letter, as if someone had dripped water on it

--

3rd Harvestmere, 9:32 Dragon

Dear Alistair,

I know about the planned engagement between you and Valesh. Cailan mentioned it over breakfast this morning, and then asked me why I was so pale. All those mentions of her in your letters bear a new meaning now. I cannot know if she is party to the decision to match you, but I know you cannot have gone into this willingly, unless you are not the man I thought you. I am a Cousland, I know of duty, but if for the sake of the alliance with Orzammar you have chosen to go through with this, then you could at least do me the courtesy of telling me, instead of leaving me to this silence. I keep thinking about what you said on Innse Gaillean, and the words mock me. After all this time, perhaps I was the one fooling myself.

At least tell me you are safe. Apart from hearing Cailan regale us all with hopes for an alliance with the dwarves, I have read the official reports Eamon sent two days ago. It said there was a rebellion from the casteless dwarves, that they sieged the palace and took you prisoner. If you ever had the smallest regard for me, let me know that you’re alive, and whole, and alright. I’ll ask nothing more.

Rosslyn

P.S. We march for South Reach immediately. One of Loghain’s magisters, Caladrius, has left Denerim, and we require all speed to beat him to South Reach before he can establish defences. If we do not succeed, we will not reach Denerim before the spring, but if we do, we will rob our enemy of one of his most powerful allies. I pray Anora’s intelligence is true, that we reach Caladrius in time, and that Baudrillard’s vanity does not outstrip my strength to control him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Harvestmere, 9:32 Dragon

Rosslyn,

You must have heard about Brosca’s rebellion by now. It’s strange how cyclical life can be. She was the dwarf condemned for being casteless fighting in the Proving, if you remember. If you’ve kept my letters. There has been so little time to write in the past few days, but I know Eamon sent a missive to Cailan as soon as he was able. The Carta caught wind of our agreement with Bhelen, and realised it would cut away their black market trade with the surface. They stormed up the rest of Dust Town and a fair number of the smith caste who were convinced they’d lose their work to surfacers. Brosca and some others took the palace guard unaware and captured us all, until at last one of her own turned against her – a member of the warrior caste disgraced after his house vanished in the Deep Roads. When they were routed, Brosca was caught, and they’re holding her now far more securely than before, until the Shaperate finds precedent for a suitably grisly punishment. It’s the caste system that got them into this, but even Valesh still refuses to see that giving people no options means they will go out and carve their own. Perhaps that sympathy is what saved us, or perhaps we were only ever meant to shield Brosca from the consequences of her actions. It doesn’t matter. All I want is the sky over my head and the grass under my feet and the wind in my face. And you.

There’s nothing like a life-threatening moment to put things into perspective, and there was a long moment when I thought I might not make it. All I could think about was never seeing you again, or telling you how in between the battles and everything else, I found myself falling for you, how I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t even know if you’ll read this, if you’re still getting my letters, but I need to say it anyway.

Despite how little time it seems we’ve spent together, I love you. I need you to know that. Eamon says Cailan is hopeful for a match, but Maker take me if I don’t hate him for it. I love you. I only hope that when I see you again it won’t be too late to say the words out loud.

I am yours, forever.

Alistair

~~~~~~~

This letter seems to have been written in a hurry, with blotches of ink and crossed-out words scarring the page. A bloody thumbprint marks one corner, with a larger stain across the bottom that bleeds into the signature.

--

9th Harvestmere, 9:32 Dragon

Alistair,

It is done. South Reach stands only as rubble now. Crews are still picking through the ruin so I cannot say if Arl Leonas was inside when we brought the walls down, but Caladrius is dead. His reserves of power were greater than even our templars knew how to contend with, deriving from blood magic rather than lyrium. The men atop the castle walls were already dead when we arrived, but still they fought us, and then so did every one of ours who fell to them. For three days, I had to cut down soldiers I recognised, who had told me the names of their children. Loghain sanctioned this. We had no choice in the end, but I have failed Arlessa Élodie all the same.

This is the last letter I will write. It is clear either you aren’t receiving my letters, or are ignoring them, and time will tell which is the truth. Fortune has allowed me one final chance, and so I am sending this to you with a messenger I can trust, rather than through the usual channels, and he promises to see it safe directly into your hands. What I have seen in the past few days has left me sickened, but still worse is the thought that what you said that day above Dunedyn lies forgotten. Everything seemed so simple back then, though it was a mere season ago.

I have not forgotten, but if things have changed, if you willingly choose the path laid out for you, then I will follow Your Highness’ wishes. I will not interfere, and you will always find a loyal subject in me, should you have need of one.

Your servant,

Rosslyn Cousland

[tritonushh]

Tag Meme

I was tagged by @wuestenratte

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and then tag as many people as there are questions.

Coke or Pepsi: Fritz Kola if anything!Tastes better than either. Although it is still too sweet.

Disney or Dreamworks: Disney, since Star Wars. Didn’t really watch many of the classic Disney movies, though.

Coffee or tea: I love tea, but for some reason I drink coffee most of the time. Idk.

Books or movies: Depends. I like both. 

Windows or Mac: Windows. I own a Macbook, but only because it is really light and I take it with me to uni on most days, so I didn’t want anything heavy or clunky and all the other laptops that were as light and ran windows were much more expensive when I bought it. Still don’t like the OS

DC or Marvel: Well, I don’t read either’s comics, but I started watching Supergirl recently and I love it, and on the other hand, all the Marvel movies started getting on my nerves, esp. considering how shitty representation is handled in them, so I’ll say DC

Xbox or Playstation: I own an Xbox 360, I like its controls better for games like Assassin’s Creed, but tbh I didn’t play on it for over a year now. PC all the way. 

Dragon Age or Mass Effect: Well I still haven’t played any Dragon Age games even though I own all of them, and Mass Effect are some of my favourite games ever, soo - Mass Effect.

Night owl or early riser: Night Owl. Wish I was an early riser, but I’m not, alas. 

Cards or Chess: I can’t play chess properly. I know how the figures move, and that’s it. Would like to be able to play, but I don’t have anyone to play it with. And on the other hand, I play Magic (the Gathering) regularly and have done so since 1994 (with a substantial pause), and though I’m sure the question meant other cards, that’s cards, so: cards.

Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate. Like, 90% of the time. Doesn’t mean I don’t like vanilla, though.

Vans or Converse: Neither. I don’t own any shoes of either brand. Also, I’d probably have trouble finding anywhere to park with a van, so...

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar: (I don’t know what that means)

Paragon or Renegade: Paragon to the squad and to nice people, Renegade otherwise. Long live the renegade interrupts.

Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars, on average.

One episode per week or binge watching: That depends entirely on the show. I’ve never binged for an entire day, though, but definitely like 5 or 6 episodes in a row. But sometimes it’s like one episode per week, if at all. Also, I don’t watch that many shows.

Gandalf or Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan. Obi “Salt Lord” Wan of the prequels is one of the few great things in those movies, maybe the only.

Music: Buy digital or buy cds? I like CDs better, but sometimes buying (or streaming, as in Spotify etc) is a lot more convenient, esp. if I only want one song from an album.

FemShep or BroShep? FemShep.

New Question: Traditional books (paper) or ebooks?

I’m tagging @stardust-musings, @apokalybbse, if you want to, and anyone who wants to do this. I’m not tagging as many people as there are questions, because ahahaha nope.

[blue-slates]

@lyriumaddled​ I know it’s been a million years and I’m sure you’ve already seen the notification that I answered this, but I answered it too early, saved it as private and lost it so I‘m putting it here ha haah.

Send me a series and I’ll tell you my:

Favorite character 

Garrus Vakarian, as if anyone’s surprised. He’s just a fun and cool guy and I really enjoyed his growth throughout the series (yes, even his regression in ME2) and especially enjoyed his relationship with Shepard. If Bioware ever decided to, I’d really want to see what he was doing while Shep was dead, and what his team on Omega was like. And I’m a sucker for a badboy who isn’t all that bad.

Second favorite charatcer

Tali’Zorah, again to nobody’s surprise. Tali’s this nerdy, kinda introverted character who’s not afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. Her arc is this sort of coming of age thing - starting out as just some kid on her pilgrimage then becoming an admiral in the third game - which I always like, it’s nice to see her coming into her own. I restarted the whole game when I accidentally got her killed in ME3. I would do anything for her.

Also her design is cute as hell.

Least favorite character 

Kaidan. And it’s not even really his fault, but he was kinda boring and unfortunately he tried to hit on my Shepard when she was just being nice, which is always a bad thing when you’re a human dude in a world where there are cooler looking guys. So it was kind of a non-choice to nuke him since I like Ashley a whole lot better.

I’m sure there’s a character I like less, but he jumped out first in my mind :/

The character I’m most like 

Huh, strangely, maybe Miranda??? I to have self esteem issues, suffer from impostor syndrome, have trouble letting people past my emotional defences and hate my dad. Though I doubt I’d look as good vacuum sealed into a rubber catsuit, or would even want to :/

Favorite pairing

Shakarian, again pretty obviously. Like I said earlier I like their dynamic and how they start out as friends and then fall in love unexpectedly. There’s a strong bond of trust between them that just makes their kind of relationship work for me. And gosh I just think they’re really cute together.

Funnily enough, Koliana is my second favourite. Go figure

Least favorite pairing

Eh, I can’t really think of one.

Favorite moment

Oh my god, Shapard punching Han’Gerrel in the stomach and kicking him off her ship. The most satisfying renegade interrupt I ever took like Goddamn. That’s what you get for putting our lives - more importantly TALI’S - in danger.

Honourable mentions: Shepard’s paragon response to blowing up the collector base and the entirety of the Shakarian date in ME3.

Rating out of 10

8 thermal clips out of 10!